LG Electronics, Bharti Airtel and Qualcomm have set up an LTE experience zone in Bangalore with the hope of reviving the 4G market conditions. Will it help?
Telecoms and the related stakeholders including Qualcomm and LG are experimenting 4G in India at a time when 3G is yet to find its space in the hands of mobile Indians.
Today, broadband network vendor NSN said 3G coverage in India is around 30 percent. 3G penetration is around 5 percent. 3G coverage is inadequate in most of the towns and cities. The shortfall in coverage in category A is around 50 percent. Consumers are not buying 3G data cards because of poor speed and coverage related issues. But 3G data grew 185 percent in category A circles that cover 36 percent of the Indian population. This means an alternative to 3G will be picked up if the eco-system is ready.
Also read: Indian mobile data from 2G and 3G increased 87 percent in 2013, says NSN
But the problem with 4G is lack of availability of cost effective handsets that can be used for both 4G data and voice.
Amit Gujral, product & marketing Head, LG Mobile Communications, said: “4G will become main stream in India by the end of 2015 and LG G2 is a first step to realize the new mobility service for the Indian consumers.”
The 32 GB model of LG G2 4G smartphone costs you around Rs 49,000. 4G users want handsets in the Rs 20,000 range. 4G – on TD-LTE network — handsets are not available in this mid-range. Majority of handset makers do not have 4G phones for Indian telecom market.
Qualcomm says Snapdragon 800 processor with integrated LTE is designed to deliver high speed and low latency connectivity with maximum performance.
But where is the coverage. 3G and 4G coverage is a concern for mobile users.
Also read: LTE 4G subscriber base reaches 230 million in 2013, says ABI Research
Sandeep Sibal, country manager and vice president of business development, Qualcomm India and South Asia, said: “This significant milestone sets a new benchmark for smartphone experiences such as superfast web browsing, high definition video streaming and console quality multiplayer gaming.”
You will not get seamless 4G experience across India because Airtel, the only telecom operator in India with some LTE presence, has operations in 4 cities including Kolkata, Chandigarh, Pune and Bangalore. Forget about 4G across the country. You will not even get seamless 4G experience in the Bangalore city. This is because Airtel has not invested adequately in 4G networks.
Airtel says 4G LTE is currently the fastest wireless internet service in India and as the only operator providing 4G services. It is true. But the question is that how many cities, Indian mobile users can enjoy this speed. NSN India head Sandeep Girotra does not expect 4G becoming a significant service in the next couple of years.
Rohit Malhotra, CEO – Karnataka, Bharti Airtel said: “Airtel 3G customers can now seamlessly move to 4G experience on their existing 3G data pack with exactly same price. To enjoy 4G on the move, customers just need to upgrade to a 4G SIM which is available at all our stores in Bangalore.”
Roll out plans of the potential 4G telecom operator – Reliance Jio Infocomm — is well known to the telecom industry. The Mukesh Ambani-promoted Reliance Jio is waiting for the best time to launch 4G – now on both TD-LTE and FD-LTE networks. It says the company is getting ready to launch 4G to revolutionize the market. But several key vendors are yet to supply any telecom network.
Baburajan K
editor@telecomlead.com
